ONTARIO - An Inland Empire economist says the demise of passenger traffic at L.A./Ontario International Airport in recent years has not been the result of the region's weakened economy.

John Husing instead blames the airport's management - Los Angeles World Airports - on what he says has resulted in a 41percent drop at the medium-hub facility since 2007.

It's a figure the airport has not seen since 1985 and, in that time, the region has added 2.3million people as well as more than half a million jobs, Husing said.

"There is no way it is our economic slowdown that caused this," said Husing, who pointed to the fact that ONT had seen a steady growth for a number of years before the sudden drop.

"There's no reason for what happened to have occurred," he said. "Ontario was handling 8percent of the passenger traffic until the change in management occurred in LAWA. Period."

Husing made his remarks while addressing the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation on Thursday afternoon at Ontario City Hall.

His testimony was met with applause from the more than 100 people in attendance.

The focus of the hearing was to examine the future of ONT, ongoing efforts to turn over management of the Inland Empire airport to local officials as well as discuss its economic importance to the region.

Panelists made a case for a change in airport management as the biggest potential to benefit all stakeholders in the airport's service area.

For the past three years, Ontario has waged a battle against LAWA - which manages ONT - saying it has not done enough to attract airlines to the facility. Most recently in January, Ontario launched the social media campaign "Set ONTario Free." The city has budgeted $1.2million for its efforts.

Rep. Gary Miller, R-Brea, a senior member of the House committee who requested the special hearing, told Husing the meeting was not meant to "beat up on Los Angeles." He added that he met with Gina Marie Lindsey, executive director of LAWA, earlier in the week.

Characterizing it as a positive meeting, Miller said both he and Lindsey agreed something needed to be done to improve conditions at the Ontario airport.

"Transferring control of the airport to the Ontario International Airport Authority will help reverse the precipitous recent decline in passenger traffic and restore Ontario (International) Airport as an economic engine for the region. I will continue to work with the city of Ontario and community and business leaders to ensure that Ontario (International) Airport remains a vital element of the aviation network in Southern California," he said.

The panel, led by Rep. Tom Petri, R-Wis., and which included members of the congressional delegation from the region, heard testimony from Husing as well as several politicians and business leaders from throughout Southern California.

For nearly three hours, many of the panelists discussed the future of the airport and how it could rebound from the 38 percent slump in passenger traffic in the past four years.

The solution for many of those testifying was transferring control of ONT to the newly formed multi-jurisdictional agency, the Ontario International Aviation Airport Authority.

Those efforts received a boost when Los Angeles City Administrator Miguel Santana - who was among the speakers on Thursday - released a report last week urging Los Angeles and Ontario officials to enter into negotiations for transfer of operations.

Earlier this week, Santana's recommendation received the endorsement of a Los Angeles City Council subcommittee. Santana said it will soon go to his City Council for approval. His report, in contrast to Husing's statements, did not blame LAWA management for the passenger decline at ONT.

Santana, who lived in the Inland Empire for 23 year, began his testimony by saying he was pleased with the recent efforts.

"It is refreshing to see we are all on the same page, but the real work starts now," he said.

Santana was asked by the panel why he is a proponent of local control and how a transfer would occur.

"LAWA has a number of needs at Los Angeles International. This potentially could help LAWA meet those needs," he said. "Through local control, the airport could play a larger role in the revitalization in the local economy."

Under his recommendation, Santana will be facilitating the discussion between both agencies. The first step in the airport's changing hands would be to understand what both sides are trying to achieve, he said.

The decline at ONT has driven more and more passengers to other airports, most notably Los Angeles International,, said Brian Perry, who read a statement on behalf of Los Angeles Councilman Dennis Zine.

It was the Los Angeles councilman's initial involvement in local control that spearheaded the report from Santana. In his statement, Zine mentioned that he attempted to find flights with specially discounted tickets to Sacramento, from both ONT and LAX. His search found that there were 16 departing and returning flights out of LAX and none out of ONT.

"It's time to set Ontario free," Perry read from Zine's statement.

The exodus of flights in recent years has resulted in a reduction in the frequency of flights, something both Rep. Joe Baca, D-San Bernardino, and Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Riverside, noted at the hearing. The two were among the California congressional delegation invited to join the hearing.

Both said they have found it increasingly harder for them to choose ONT because of a lack of options.

Baca added that Petri, who flew in from Wisconsin, first had to stop in Phoenix before flying into ONT.

Speaking to the issue, Lucy Dunn, a member of the OIAA, had an issue herself on Thursday about a he lack of flights at ONT.

Dunn, who was in Northern California earlier in the day, almost missed the meeting because her flight to Ontario had been canceled. Because there were no other options to the Ontario airport, the Orange County businesswomen flew into John Wayne Airport and and then drove to the hearing.

"What was supposed to be a one-hour flight took three," Dunn testified before the panel.

Dunn also serves as president and chief executive officer of the Orange County Business Council. She said the airport is ideally and uniquely situated to serve the needs of business and leisure travelers in a four-county region.

Making the case for local control, Ontario Councilman Alan Wapner said a shift in management would allow LAWA to focus on LAX, promote the redistribution of air traffic throughout the region, and ensure all Southern California airports have adequate capacity.

Transfer of the airport would also protect the significant financial investment made in the airport by the federal government and Ontario for improvements - grade separations, street widenings, interchange upgrades and so forth, Wapner said.

The OIAA would lower the costs of doing business and entice more airlines to come back to the airport. In addition, the authority would launch a comprehensive marketing plan, which the Los Angeles region would help fund.

By transferring management, Wapner said, "the airport will have a sponsor that has a vested interest in its success and is accountable for providing long-term airport capacity for the benefit of the entire region."

Petri said the subcommittee does not intend to get involved in the issue and any direction for change would be up to local and regional leaders.

The aviation subcommittee does have authority over civil and commercial aviation as well as the Federal Aviation Administration, which reviews any proposals for transfers of control.

"As they move forward with negotiations, I encourage the parties to find both a legal as well as a mutually acceptable solution for all involved," Petri said.